End of Days
by Discord1
Summary: AU. Nick and Judy are freedom fighters for the Mammal Coalition in the battle to save their world from a planet-wide invasion. Will they prevail, or topple into extinction?
1. Before the End

**End of Days**

 **By: Discord**

A/N: Alright folks, this story is a _bit_ out there, so bear with me. It could end up being really cool, or flop horribly. We'll see. A warning – this tale is dark. There is light and humor and romance, but its not always a fun ride for our favorite pair.

Nick and Judy are freedom fighters for the Mammal Coalition in the battle to save their world from a planet-wide invasion. Will they prevail, or topple into extinction?

* * *

 **Chapter One – Before the End**

* * *

Nick shined his badge with the heel of his hand, admiring its gleam in the mirror. He had been an officer for the Zootopia Police Department for only a week, and the pride he kept tightly-lidded in public still hadn't worn off. Smoothing the front of his already crisp uniform, he gave the reflective pane a smile.

"Maybe today?" He watched his mouth move in the mirror, glimpsing sharp canines. "I could do it today. She laughed at _seven_ of my jokes yesterday," Nick thought of the bunny who had turned his life upside down, appearing one afternoon in an ice cream parlor and forever changing everything.

A knock rapped on his front door. "Nick!" A familiar voice called. "You coming?"

The beginnings of courage evaporated. "Yep!" He shot the mirror a last panicked look before darting from the bathroom. "Just a second!"

"Come on! The car's running!"

Nick grabbed his wallet and phone from the bowl Judy had given him –a futile effort to expedite his morning routines – and rushed for the door, turning the knob and swinging it wide.

A short, gray rabbit carrying two cups of coffee and wearing a uniform identical to his smiled from his front step. "Prompt as ever, eh Wilde?" She wore a gentle mix of amusement and exasperation, unaware Nick found the combination highly alluring.

He gave her a wide, easy grin, betraying none of the nerves her presence brought. "Morning Carrots," he turned and closed the door, locking it leisurely and waiting for her telltale impatience.

Judy didn't disappoint, starting to tap her foot without realizing. "Come on Nick," she said. "Before my birthday."

The fox brushed her with his tail as he came back around, taking his coffee with a wink. "I'm not late, you're early."

She huffed. "You _always_ say that, and we _always_ make it to the station just in time."

Nick left her side, sipping his steaming cup and strolling down the stairs. "You call fifteen minutes 'just' in time?"

Judy joined him, elbowing his side as she bounded past. " _Yes_ ," she hurried to the ZPD cruiser parked in the street and ran around its front to the driver's side.

Nick took his time, delighting in her eye roll. "This is good," he lifted the hot beverage, examining the logo printed on its side. "Did you find a new place?"

Judy opened the door. "Yeah, some café down the block," she sat down. "Now get in or you're walking to work."

Nick obliged, opening his own door. "You know, some would call your love of threats a problem. They might say you have control issues you need to work out."

The rabbit depressed the brake and put the car in drive. "Close the door or I'll _show_ you a problem."

Nick grinned and did as he was told, placing his coffee in a holder next to hers before buckling up. "More threats," he 'tsked'. "So angry."

Judy frowned. "Don't start today Nick. The chief's giving us a new assignment, and I want to be the first ones to the briefing room."

"So if we're not first, we're late?"

"Exactly."

"Oh wait," he started for door handle. "I left my sunglasses inside."

Judy glared. "You have a pair in the glove box."

"Do I?"

"You're doing this just to give me a hard time and make me crazy."

"Is it working?"

"Yes," she shook her head. "You're killing me here."

Nick settled back into his seat, making no move to retrieve them. "You wouldn't have me any other way," his eyes lost their teasing. "Thanks for the coffee by the way, it's perfect. I'll get the next ones."

Judy started to smile when something strange caught the corner of her eye. Leaning over the steering wheel, she saw a bright streak of light sail through the sky. "Hey," her ears fell. "What's that?"

Nick peered up from the dash, stretching his seatbelt. He saw what she saw – it was impossible to miss. A rocketing path of orange marred the cloud-filled expanse above them. "I don't know," his brow furrowed as the light was joined by a second, and then third streak. The streaks coalesced, moving together in an obvious pattern, and changed from orange to red.

Nick's fur stood on end. "Judy…," his voice grew serious. "Put on your seatbelt," the merging lights drew closer. "Now."

Judy continued to stare, dropping her mouth. "What in the world are those?"

"Judy!" Nick reached across the cab, knocking over their coffees as he grabbed for her seatbelt. "Buckle yourself in!" He didn't even register the hot, scalding liquid seeping through the fur of his forearm. "They look like they're coming right for us!"

Judy's eyes widened as the lights grew bright and angry red, and she fumbled with the strap at her shoulder. Nick grabbed it from her hands and clicked it into place. "Drive!" He shouted, staring through the windshield in horror. "Get us out of here!"

The rabbit nodded numbly and floored the gas pedal, making the cruiser roar as it upshifted abruptly.

The lights left the blue stratosphere and sharpened into focus as they neared. Judy raced down the road and barely heard Nick's shocked whisper.

"I think… they're… rockets…."


	2. The Losing Fight

**Chapter Two – The Losing Fight**

* * *

\- ONE YEAR LATER -

Nick examined himself in the broken shard of glass his whole unit shared when they had the time or inclination to see their reflection. It was in the makeshift outhouse they had dug for their new safe zone, and the fox peered into its smudged surface, seeing a stranger staring back. Dark circles, hollow cheeks, and patches of thinning fur from nutrient-deprivation filled his features. The remnants of his police uniform had given out three months ago, and he had adopted a drab, gray shirt two sizes too big and dark pants with only one rip in the knee. Scars laced his limbs, breaking up the once even mantle of red, and Nick pulled at his latest scrape, a wide, nasty cut along his cheek and jaw.

A soft knock came at the outhouse door. The structure had been cobbled together from scrap wood, and the fox peered over its walls, spotting his best friend in the growing shadows.

"Hey," Judy said softly. "Are you ready to let me see?"

Nick waved her away. "It's not that bad."

She crossed arms as scarred as his over her chest. "I can determine that on my own Wilde."

Nick started to smile but winced as the gash pulled. "Fine, fine," he pushed open the door and presented his cheek, bending down so she wouldn't have to stretch up on tiptoes.

The rabbit reached for a small flashlight among the tools belted to her hips and flicked it on, shining it at his face.

Nick shut his eyes and stepped from the structure, letting the door swing closed behind him. "A bit of warning would be nice Carrots."

She ignored him, studying the wound. Its edges were dry and dark, and there was no yellowing or infection in the surrounding fur. "You got lucky," she looked a moment longer before clicking the light off. "I was sure that beam had done more than just scrape by."

Judy referred to the toppling building they had both been in six hours ago, where support pillars had given out under heavy bombing and collapsed atop them. Nick had dived for her and pushed her out of the way as one crashed down, earning himself a knock on the head and a nasty new beauty mark.

"It'll take more than that to stop me," he reached out and tugged one of her ears, hanging low and tired down her back. "Do you know if they have coffee going yet?"

Judy tried to smile, and for a moment, he saw a ghost of their old mornings together, sipping caffeine and trading jabs on the way to ZPD headquarters.

Those days were a lifetime ago.

"Clawhauser's trying," she said. "But he's mostly brewing burnt, black water."

Nick sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"But," her ears lifted. "I _did_ manage to acquire something special for the guy who saved my life."

"Yet again," he pulled his hand away from his face.

Judy didn't argue, knowing they both owed each other their lives a dozen times over. "Here," she extracted something small and folded from her belt, holding it out to him. "It almost ended up being a bandage, but I rescued it in time," her cheeks colored, throwing pink across her gray fur. "Cost me quite a few rations sir, so you better not make fun of me for it."

Nick looked at the square of red fabric and swallowed, already knowing what it was. He tried to make his voice light and careless, like it had been in those days before that fateful drive, but it came out hitched and thick.

"T-Thank you," he managed, taking the Junior Ranger scarf from her. "I haven't seen one of these in forever."

Judy's eyes flicked from her feet to his face, and back down again. "Yeah, well," she toed a pebble. "I saw it and wanted you to have it."

Nick stared down at the creature he'd spent every day of the last year beside. She had lost a lot of weight, more than him, and the muscle and strength she'd once had were gone. Her uniform had died long before his, cut to shreds in a firefight against the invaders over the capital. Zootopia now lay in a pile of smoking ruins, the spires, railways, and ecosystem districts reduced to rubble. Nick sobered, thinking of his fallen home, and tried to push the anguish of its loss away, focusing, as he often did, on the rabbit who had been the only reason he'd joined the resistance and not given up hope.

Although Judy was a slip of her former self, her eyes had never lost their spark of determination, and he stepped forward, putting arms around her slight shoulders. "I'd leap in front of anything for you, you know," he murmured, speaking into the fur of her forehead. "With or without gifts."

She hugged him back, trying to quell the shake in her frame; he couldn't tell if it was from fatigue, or emotion.

"Gifts make it easier though, right?" She offered lightly. "Especially when they're so damn thoughtful."

Nick smiled and resisted the urge to plant a kiss on her brow. That day he had always vowed to share his feelings had never come. A year later, and a great many horrors neither had ever expected to witness, and it was still as far off as it had ever been.

He released her, giving a shrug. "That beam was heavy," he pointed to his cheek. "And it messed up my pretty face. I don't know if one scarf steeped in nostalgia will cover it."

Judy smiled at his glibness, a sure sign of an improved mood, and slipped an arm around his waist, turning them back to the unlit, tented camp their unit had hastily erected. "Wasn't much to ruin in the first place," she began walking, pulling him along. "And you still look like you," her fingers squeezed his side.

Nick fought the warmth spreading across his face and tucked the scarf into his own tool-laden belt. Judy gave mixed signals all the time, and he had learned long ago that they were merely expressions of her friendship and affection. Nothing deeper or more meaningful lay beneath her proximity or touch.

He walked with her, careful to keep his pace in check with hers, lest her arm fall away. Just because she didn't see him as anything more than a friend and comrade-at-arms didn't mean he needed to end these bittersweet moments prematurely.

They neared the tent's opening, and Nick nodded to the tiger guarding it. A huge rifle rested in his hands, and they both unconsciously counted how many rounds he carried on the near empty sash across his chest.

Stepping inside, they slowed, letting their pupils widen and adjust to the darkness. It was one of their few advantages over the invaders – they could see far better without light than they.

Forms filled the tent, some laying down, others crouched together in conversation, and a few huddled in a cluster over a table of maps. Without needing to ask each other, Nick and Judy made their way towards the table, heading for a cape buffalo seated in a wheelchair.

"How are we looking Chief?" Judy asked as they approached, leaving Nick's side and coming up to her still wide-shouldered captain. "Who else made it through?"

Bogo sighed, rubbing his temples. Though his legs had been rendered useless in the attack on the capital, even sitting he was still taller than the diminutive bunny. "Teams two and three have reported in," he shot Nick a quick nod as the fox reached his other side. "But six, seven, and ten have been completely silent," the former police chief shook his head, sending his long horns slicing through the air. "I'll give them another ten minutes, and then I'm calling it."

Nick felt the familiar stirrings of fear rise in his chest. The Mammal Coalition, formed in the first months after an initial wave of missiles had killed thousands of citizens and decimated their seats of power, had always been a step behind the enemy, reacting instead of launching their own attacks. This latest loss had been at part by his hand. He had urged the council to act – to strike first – and the resulting casualties had been staggering. Judy and he had survived, while twelve brothers and sisters hadn't, reducing team one in number almost by half.

Nick glanced around the table, seeing several faces he knew, and some he didn't. Their ranks were being taxed faster than they could replace, and he saw two new mammals, an elephant and a wolf, who were much too young to be standing across from him at the officer's table.

Judy's voice broke his inner worry, like a beacon banishing the threatening edge of shadow. "Give them twenty Bogo. This safe zone is fourteen clicks away – they have a long way to journey on foot."

The buffalo nodded. "Go see if they've sent any word over the radio."

Judy nodded back, and Nick leaned over to hear his next assignment, eager for a distraction.

Bogo stared out across the maps littered before him, many marked with crossed out objectives that had been lost. The hastily-drawn papers may have been low-tech, but it was all they had available anymore. "Get yourself to the infirmary, Wilde," he said, leaning forward and pulling one of the wide sheets close. "See if they can stitch that mouth of yours closed while they're at it."

"Sir," Nick watched Judy walk away and knew this was her doing. "I'm fine. Put me somewhere I can help."

The buffalo gave him a sideways glance. "You think I want her mad at me?" He asked. "Get yourself patched up, and I'll put you on patrol. Don't, and I'll confine you to bed rest for twenty-four hours."

"What?!" Nick fisted his hands at his sides. "Judy's no medic! She doesn't get a final say."

Bogo turned in his chair, fixing him with a hard glare. "She does and you know it," he snorted resolutely, reminiscent of his old self. "Go."

Nick fumed, frowning so hard he made the gash at his cheek begin to bleed again. "This is bullshit Chief."

The buffalo returned to his maps. "It all is soldier," he mumbled. "This whole, crazy world is. Be glad someone wants you well and whole," he snorted again, waving him away. "Report to the infirmary, or I'll hold you in contempt."

Nick stared at the other mammals around the table. The wolf and elephant looked uncomfortable, unused to this intimate glimpse into the workings of command, but the rest were either furiously studying maps, or absorbed in suddenly monitoring who was resting after long shifts in the field.

Incensed, Nick stormed away, vowing to remind Judy, yet again, that she had no right to meddle in his affairs. He left the main room, flouncing the tent flap back as he strode for the medic tent planted a hundred feet away. Muttering under his breath, he flung a new flap aside, startling a gazelle who'd once been a famous singer and a sheep who'd once been imprisoned for her attempt at a hostile takeover from their nightly sterilization of scavenged surgical implements.

"I'm here for this," he grumbled, pointed to the wound across his face. "Sorry to trouble you, I know you have more pressing patients."

The sheep hurried over and lifted his chin with a hoof. "This only needs a few stitches Nick," Bellwether had long ago gotten over her hatred of predators, having new foes to focus it on instead, and clicked her tongue. "It's good you came though."

The gazelle nodded, her frayed blonde bangs bobbing over her eyes. "Dawn and I have seen a lot more infections lately, mostly from mammals deciding they don't need treatment with our causalities on the rise," Gazelle, aptly named, approached him, holding out her arms. "Let's get some antiseptic on that."

The two women led him to a sheet-less bed and quickly tended to the wound, stitching it closed in a matter of minutes. The last year had seen them abandon their old professions and embrace lives of healing. Bellwether in particular had had a reawakening, forsaking her machinations in favor of helping to hurt the enemies from space in any way she could.

Nick nodded his thanks and gave them both small rounds of dehydrated bread from his belt. Food had become the currency, and its payment was lasting and felt profoundly. Leaving the tent with a grateful nod, the fox made his way towards the radio shack, of similar assembly and quality to the outhouse, with a mind to tell Judy exactly where she could put her mothering act.

No lights guided his steps as he nimbly crept towards the structure, generously given a roof of non-rusted sheet metal to hold its antennae. Voices floated out as Nick neared, and he peeked past the piece of ripped canvas serving as its door to see the woman he had built his whole life around jump up and down in excitement.

"Yes!" Judy rejoiced, clapping a raccoon in front of a table full of machines on the shoulder. "We hear you Ten!" She held a headset to her ear, unable to contain the grin that split her face. "We have hot, dark water claiming to be coffee and warm beds waiting for you," she beamed down at the message receiver, who returned her smile with his own. "I'm resending you our coordinates now," she motioned to the raccoon, and his dark-furred hands deftly typed in their location. "We're just past the zero-seven blast site."

Her smile faltered as the voice on the line continued. "Wait, what?" It fell altogether. "Ambushed?"

Nick watched her pale.

"Where? How many do you still have on your tail?"

The raccoon picked up a second headset and furiously repeated the news. " _Unit ten has enemies in pursuit – repeat – enemies in pursuit_ ," his voice carried over loud-speakers set up in each tarped off site, filling the night.

Nick strode into the room, unholstering his backup firearm from his belt. "How far out are they Carrots?"

Judy looked up, ashen. "Eight minutes."


	3. The Siege

A/N: The next few chapters are going to be flicking back and forth between flashbacks and the present. They will be denoted as such. Sorry if it's too jarring to the story, I'm (yet again) trying something new.

* * *

 **Chapter Three – The Siege**

* * *

\- THE PAST -

Nick shook his head, trying to rid it of its heaviness. The world spun and swam before him, unfocused and murky.

A low moan came from his left, and he heard Judy mumble his name.

"Nick?" Her voice was afraid and confused. "Are you alright?"

He nodded numbly. "I'm here."

"What happened?"

He called for his arms, and they sprang to action, raking against the fabric top of the cruiser. "I think we're still in the car," he managed, blinking through his haze. "Are you hurt?"

Judy shook her head. "I don't think so," she closed her eyes and went to unclick the seatbelt keeping her immobile. "Just a bit disoriented. Did we get in an accident? We'll have to file report 583 if—."

"Don't undo your seatbelt," Nick palmed the air, almost hitting her nose. "We're upside down."

Judy blinked and surveyed the scene. The door windows were gone, leaving only a spray of glittering shards and bent metal. The windshield was in better shape, intact, but full of lacing spiderweb cracks. Through it, she spotted a downed electrical pole spitting sparks a few leagues ahead and a topless fire hydrant showering it in a torrent of water. "Oh no," she murmured. "We're in trouble."

"Don't worry," he tried for a joke. "I'm here."

"Ha," small fingers reached across the cab and made contact with his reach. "Look," she tugged on his arm. "We need to get out of here before that water reaches us."

Nick followed her gaze and blanched. The electrified, foaming white had already flooded the street, eating up asphalt as it ran towards them. "Damn," he uttered, looking around. No one was on the sidewalk, and the day seemed strangely dark and fog-filled. Smoking debris littered the area, and he wondered how their crash had spewed so much twisted metal and glass. "Hold on," he unclicked his own harness and snarled as he fell to the roof of the cab. "Just let me assess the scene."

Judy undid her own seatbelt, landing in a pile of ears and legs. "No need," she spoke from under her hip. "It's assessed. We need to move."

A sound filled the air, like the whistling of supersonic jets flying low.

Nick squirmed until he was upright. "Do you hear that?"

Judy followed suit, righting herself and peeking out the open window, lifting her ears into the air. Trails of exhaust streaked the sky, but she couldn't see whatever had just passed by. "Let's move," she scrambled out and rose, wincing at a sharp pain in her chest. Looking down, she paled, groping for the vehicle behind her in shock. A jagged piece of shrapnel jutted from her ribs, penetrating her uniform and vest. Blood stained around it in a seeping circle, and the bunny balked.

Nick climbed out the other side, dropping his jaw at the carnage splayed before him. Their cruiser hadn't been in an accident – other upended cars smoldered in the distance, and fires burned in the windows of nearby buildings. Black stained their sides, and he realized with a cold dread there'd been some kind of explosion. The sound of rushing water perked his ears, and he skirted around the car's steaming grill to get off the road, widening his eyes as he caught sight of his partner. "J-Judy…," he closed the distance between them with fumbling steps, knees suddenly weak, and reached to touch the broken bit of steel protruding from her chest. It must have ricocheted out after the detonation, or impact, or whatever had gone off.

"I'm alright," she grabbed his hand before he touched its sharp edge and pulled him to the sidewalk, looking at the hulking piles of rubble around them. "What happened? Where is everyone?"

Nick couldn't respond, too focused on the wet darkness at her waist and the foreign object staring nakedly up at him. "We need to get this out and bind your wound," he started unbuttoning the top of her uniform, struggling as his fingers shook.

Judy looked up at him, closing her hands around his. "Hey," she said softly. "Nick?"

Her tone pulled his eyes to hers.

"I'm okay," she assured. "It didn't hit anything vital

Nick's voice broke. "N-Not yet!" The words rose to a holler, and he changed tactics, reaching for the hem of her shirt tucked into her belt. "This is going to puncture one of your lungs if you move anymore!"

She tried to keep hold of his hands, but he was already pulling at blue fabric, lifting her uniform up. "We need—," she started.

A set of snapped teeth close to her face interrupted. " _You_ need to listen to me and let me get this damned thing out of your body!" Nick almost snarled, heaving with adrenaline and fear. " I can do it – I took all the same courses you did at the academy. Just give me a minute!"

Judy swallowed. "I… I'm…," her voice wavered. "I-It'll… hurt."

Nick stopped his fervent tug and gave her a long look as exposed as the piece between them. The thing must have once been part of a display window or door frame, now made only into an impaling weapon. "I'll make it quick," he assured, speaking through the lump in his throat. "Trust me."

Fear shone in her eyes as she gulped and nodded, helping to lift her shirt and vest gingerly out over the spike.

Nick palmed her bare stomach, pushing her gently against the upturned cruiser. Wet, once gray fur – now matted and red – filled his fingers as he watched her wince beneath his touch. His claws brushed higher, smoothing her coat as he felt for broken ribs. There was trembling and uncertainty to his inspection, and the fox worked to still his hands. Judy didn't need him to be scared right now. "Take a deep breath," he coached, forcing his mind to be cold and clinical as he pressed around the wound, hunting for how deep the shrapnel had been flung.

Judy hissed as he grazed her lower ribcage and unconscious tears sprang to her eyes. "T-There," she gasped.

Nick didn't hesitate, knowing it would be worse if she knew it was coming. He flattened his palm against her waist and grabbed the shrapnel's head with the other, wrenching it out in one sure stroke. The rabbit screamed, filling his ears with terror and pain. Casting it aside, Nick put pressure on the wound and fumbled one-handed in his belt for the roll of bandages a certain bunny had always insisted he carry per protocol. The steel clattered to the sidewalk, loud among the crackle of flames and the whimpers his partner tried to bite back. Judy's sides heaved in panicked breaths as he took her hand and placed it where his had been. Nick needed both to unroll the white gauze, already bloody in his grip. Red surged out over Judy's fingers as he started to wind the bandage tightly around her middle, and she withdrew them only at his nod. The roll grew smaller as he went behind her back again and again, and he tied it in a haphazard knot before it was spent.

"G-Good thing you're small," he mumbled, trying not to let his racing heart make his voice quake. "There was enough there even for Rhinowitz," Nick met her eye, wanting to offer a wink, but too terrified to muster one.

Judy tried for a small smile, but her chin only quivered. She couldn't manage the reassurance either.

"I need to put your vest back on now," Nick dropped his gaze, unable to bear the glint of fear he saw in her face, knowing it was because of him. "Pressure will be best until we can get you to a hospital." Gingerly, he pulled the heavy, bullet-proof shield back down and tightened its straps. Judy shrieked and buckled against him as pain lanced her side, oblivious to the tears that burst forth.

Her sobs quickly subsided as she gasped for inhales, working through the sear. "Oh… my god," she managed. "That was… _so_ much worse than they said it would be."

Nick felt tears of his own start to well and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking them away. "Does it feel better?" He choked out, casting a hateful glance at the long bit of metal, now glistening and harmless on its side.

The rabbit took a tentative inhale. "Yeah," she murmured.

"We'll need to get you to a doctor right away, it's just a temporary fix."

Judy groped for the hands still at her uniform. "We will, after we check the area for survivors. If I fared this badly, imagine the mammals without cover. There could be dozens trapped or disoriented, and they'll need our help."

Nick's mind was only on one mammal, more important to him than any duty. " _You_ need help."

Judy pried his fingers away from their clutch, resolve replacing her momentary vulnerability. "We're officers first, and we have a responsibility to save them."

Nick shook his head, eying her side. "Mine is protecting my partner," he said thickly.

Judy reached out and touched his cheek. "Don't be silly newbie," she smiled weakly as the cruiser started making a hideous hissing sound behind the. " _I'm_ the one who protects you – aside from pulling debris from chests. You get that one."

Nick opened his mouth to argue when a boom exploded in the distance. It was followed by a crash and a series of alarmed cries. The rip of gunfire followed next, shattering the air, snapping louder than the downed electric pole.

They shared a look and took off towards the sound, Judy limping only slightly, dropping hands to their belts and unsnapping the holsters of their firearms.

Zootopia was under some kind of attack, and two officers were on the scene.


	4. Ambushed

**Chapter Four – Ambushed**

* * *

\- THE PRESENT –

Members of unit ten staggered into camp, eyes wild and guns empty. Blood dripped from the face of a zebra as she shouted orders to her troops.

"Spread out! Take cover! Hide!" She called, clicking the radio piece in her ear. " _They're right behind us_ ," she messaged. " _Keep your positions!_ "

" _Affirmative Delia_ ," the raccoon responded. " _We see you and have your back_."

The zebra nodded in relief and motioned with her hoof towards bushes and trees. "Go," she spoke to a pair of otters at her side. "Get a good sight and make your last shots count."

The otters, a married couple who'd been some of the first mammals to join the resistance, nodded and scurried on all fours into the darkness.

Nick and Judy watched the group disperse, crouched behind the radio shed to give cover to their comrade still inside. They were both breathing hard, hearts beating loud in their ears and turned to each other at the same time.

"Calm down," Judy said first, elbowing his side. "We've got this."

He nudged her back. "Same to you."

They shared a look and took a long inhale together, trying to slow their racing pulses.

"Hey," Nick whispered, catching Delia duck down by a cluster of young, spindly pines. The mud she had caked over herself to cover her vibrant stripes had dried and flaked away, and her bands of white stood out starkly in the shadows. "No more mothering me," he nudged her again. "I can take care of myself."

Judy gave him a solemn look. "It's my job newbie," her features smoothed in a small smile. "Plus, I like making you mad. You used to love doing it to me."

"I can tell," he faced forward, peering past the shack, searching for moving shapes. "But you—," he stopped talking, squinting as figures began to appear. "There's five…," his eyes sifted through the darkness, tallying them up. "No, eight coming in fast."

Judy lowered her ears, peeking out under his chin. "Wait, four more flanking from the left."

Nick nodded, bumping his bandaged jaw against her head. "This is just their scout wave."

One of the figures cupped a hairless hand over its snoutless mouth and imitated a howl.

Judy and Nick tensed, waiting and praying silently.

No genuine howl responded. The wolves in camp had all put in their ear plugs as ordered.

The form motioned with an arm, and the scouts fanned out, lifting assault rifles up. They had abandoned their usual armored head gear, no doubt needing as much range of sight as they could get with a night incursion. All still wore heavy, loud boots and camouflaged body armor that did little to hide them from keen animal senses. Red dots appeared in the darkness, sending streaks of laser light into the grass and trees. Predators crouched lower and prey stilled on their bellies, using latent instincts long forgotten to keep themselves invisible

The former ZPD officers both heard Bogo's voice in their earpieces. " _Wait till they get closer_ ," he said. " _We want their main wave within range before we fire_."

No one whispered 'aye sir', silently following the order and training weapons on targets as they advanced.

Judy signaled to Nick silently, showing with her hand she was going to go around to the building's other side.

He blanched and grabbed her wrist. "Stay here," he hissed. "We can cover the radio from this spot."

She shook her head slightly. "We're blind on that side," she whispered back. "Everyone's focused on these scouts, but they could have another group come from the south. You remember how they took the zero-six site?"

Nick didn't release her, engulfing her forearm in his grip. "Don't go."

"Now who's mothering?"

His fingers curled tighter. "Stay with me," his gaze implored, saying more than he meant to, but he didn't care.

Judy pulled her arm free. "I'll be close," she assured, rising from her knees and trotting low around the wooden side, disappearing save her round tail.

Dread flooded him, and Nick battled against its influence, trying not to go after her. This position was important to hold. The medic tent was behind him, and he knew Bellwether and Gazelle were not skilled marksmen. He settled deeper into his crouch and lifted his gun up, a pistol with nine available rounds, but only eight loaded. He would make every shot count.

* * *

The attack had come from space on a mild, autumn morning. A pleasant, but unremarkable Tuesday. The invaders had sent waves of missiles crashing into the planet's surface, targeting metropolitan areas the hardest, and followed the assault with low-flying, hovering ships, full of armed troops and eagerly-targeting cannons.

The residents of Zootopia and the surrounding cities never saw it coming. Tens of thousands of lives were snuffed out in the first day, mowed down by strange, bipedal creatures whose alien, armored exoskeleton made them look like some sort of overgrown insect.

The animal populace had quickly learned that the outside shell could be removed in pieces, and that it was made up of nonpermanent helmets and body plating. The skin-covered faces beneath them were soft and bare, like members of newborn litters, with small ears set below mops of fur that ranged in color from light to dark. Male invaders could grow fur on their faces, and females kept their mops long, bound in head-tails that didn't seem to help their balance as real tails would.

They called themselves humans and demanded the total surrender of every soul.

Zootopians fought back, unwilling to give up their home.


	5. Slaughter

**Chapter Five – Slaughter**

* * *

\- THE PAST –

Judy and Nick ran until their breathing grew ragged and their hearts threatened to burst from their chests. Then they ran more, stopping only to guide hurt citizens into stable buildings and ordering them out of the city.

The roar of ships filled the air, broken by intermittent blasts of gunfire and cries that ceased suddenly as they headed into the heart of Zootopia, sprinting towards the police barracks and the mayor's office.

Nick was keenly aware of the rabbit running beside him, her breathing more hitched and labored than his. A stain of red had seeped up to her shoulder and down to her thigh, and he couldn't take it anymore. Though he'd bandaged the wound, he hadn't tended to it with the care and attention a hole in the chest required.

The staccato bursts of an automatic rifle sounded up ahead around a corner, and he grabbed her without thinking, rushing them both down an alley.

"Nick!" She protested, struggling as his arms lifted her from the ground. "What're you doing?! Put me down!"

He ignored her, trotting past overturned garbage cans and molding, wet pallets, halting only when they'd reached the passage's end. "Quiet!" He ordered, setting her down and pushing her behind his back, turning to face the alley's narrow mouth. "They're close."

Judy wasn't the type of rabbit who hid, and trained her weapon next to his. "You can't just scoop me up like that!" She growled. "I'm not some damsel who needs saving."

Nick nodded, not taking his eyes off the opening of light beyond. "No. You're a stubborn moron who needs to let me bind that wound more securely before it gets any worse."

"It's fi—."

"It's not fine!" Emotion made his retort loud. "How can I count on a partner whose strength is leaving by the minute? If you want to help – really help – you need to let me look at it."

Judy swore under her breath. "You already _did_."

"The blood filling my nose every time you move says otherwise. But I just finished the academy a week ago," he managed to make his tone dry. "What do I know?"

She swore again, and flashed anger and impatience up at him. Nick remained unmoved, ears twitching as the gunfire abruptly ended, and she unbuttoned the front of her uniform, shrugging out of it with a furious exhale. He peeked over his shoulder as she lifted the thick, bullet-resistant vest once again, revealing pink-matted fur and the bandage, now soaked in blood. Her exertion had done little to help, and he cursed himself for not binding it better.

Abandoning his vigil, Nick dropped to a knee and fished in his pockets for more first aid supplies. Judy patted a pouch at her belt and he unsnapped it, pulling out a tube of antiseptic, packaged sterile gauze pads, and a fresh roll of bandages. She aimed her weapon with one arm, holding her vest with the other as she covered him.

"This could've waited," she trembled in outrage. "We're only fifteen minutes from headquarters."

Nick sniffed the gash and started unwinding his first attempt. It was wet and dripping as he gathered it in his fingers. "Always needing to be early," he muttered, ignoring the tremble in his paws.

Judy – _Judy_ – was still hurt. He hadn't fixed _anything_. She was still bleeding.

The sentiment droned in his ears, and he fastened the gauze, winding it swiftly around her middle. His fingers brushed her fur, checking her rib as they palmed hip and stomach in a display more protective and possessive than he realized.

She flinched as he added ointment and pulled the strip tight, tying it off and biting the end. "Ow," she ground out, digging teeth into her lower lip to keep from making sound. There would _not_ be a repeat of her sniveling in front of the cruiser. "You don't have the gentlest touch Wilde."

He kept a splayed hand at her side and rose. "Maybe because I was forced to rush under your glare," he patted her. "I tell you, some would find your affinity for threats an issue."

Judy rolled her eyes and pulled her vest down, pushing his fingers from her hip. "Don't make me threaten then."

Nick got off his knee, straightening and looking down with the start of an indulgent smile, able to reclaim a vestige of his teasing air now that he had rebandaged her injury. "You know you love me."

The rabbit huffed, returning to the alley's mouth. "Do I know that?"

He waited, pocketing the extra gauze and ointment.

"Yes," she admitted, parroting her words from a week ago. "Because who else will patch up a hole in my chest twice, insulting me all the while?"

He grinned. "Told you."

Boot steps thundered down the street, and they both lost their smiles. Flattening against the wall, they watched a trio of dark forms run past, shouting orders and waving for others to follow. A stream of at least a dozen more trailed after, all touting large weapons. They scanned the alley with their helmeted visors, and Nick and Judy pressed themselves harder into its cold brick sides, grateful – for once – that they were some of the smallest mammals on the force.

Red pricks of light danced down the passage, hitting the garbage cans and pallets. One trailed close to Judy's foot, and she drew it back, holding her breath. Nick's arm was over her, ready as if they were still in the cruiser, bracing for impact, and she wondered how he'd stretched it across so fast. The laser dot pulled away, shooting upward, and the boots marched on.

They stood still for another minute, letting breath return to their lungs, ears perked and tense as they listened for other possible squads.

When it became clear the danger had passed, Nick dropped his arm and left the wall, starting back down the way they'd come. "Have you ever seen mammals like them?" He spoke over his shoulder, creeping forward. "Are they from the polar regions?"

Judy followed him, careful to avoid the trash cans and refuse in her path. "I don't think so," she whispered back. "They're stocky and compact, like a pack of primates."

Nick scoffed. "Primates died off a thousand years ago Judy."

"I know," she reached his side, and they journeyed back to the alley's lip, looking right and left before stepping out into the street. "I'm just saying."

The pair turned and resumed their original destination, heading towards the scene of the gunfire.

Judy glanced back, checking their tail. "Who do _you_ think they are? Did you see their tri-bended knuckles and opposable thumbs on those triggers? They _could_ be distant relations in the gorilla tree."

Nick shook his head, slowing as they approached the bend. "Then where did they come from? There's no jungle or region we don't have mammals living on – we would have noticed the development of space-faring ships," they rounded the corner and his stomach lurched.

Fallen forms lay everywhere, crumpled in piles of pooling blood. Spotted and striped bodies littered the street, still and silent, and Judy and Nick separated, fanning out to check on victims. They bent down, holstering weapons as they hunted for pulses at wrists and necks.

Nick traveled through his side of the street, stopping to check the sprawled body of a goat before rising and seeking out his partner.

Judy lifted her eyes from the hulking frame of a wildebeest and shook her head. "They're gone," she called weakly, letting the words tumble before her. "They've killed them all."

Nick crossed the road to her side, letting his ears swivel to pick up any new wave. "Let's get to the barracks," he said, his stomach suddenly threatening to give up its breakfast. "These attackers – whoever they are – aren't here for demands or negotiation."

Judy nodded numbly, turning towards the city's center. "Why are they doing this?"

Nick cast a last glance at the motionless bodies lying senselessly about. "I don't know," he gripped his pistol tighter. "But they _will_ be sorry."


End file.
